Slicing machine



Nov. 29, 1932.

w. J. CAMPBELL sLIcIiw MACHINE Filed Feb. 12.1950

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 NOV- 29, 1932 w. J. CAMPBELL-1 SLICING MACHINE 5Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 12, 195o www mmwnxl.

NOV. 29, 1932. w 1 CAMPBELL 1,889,541

siLIcING MACHINE Filed Feb. 12. 1930 :s sums-sheet s E /A gn,

Jiffy/226% Patented Nov. 29, 1932 UNITI-:n STATES` PATENT OFFICE WILLIAMJ. CAMPBELL, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN SLICIN GMACHINE COMPANY, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION NEW YORK snrcmeMACHINE Application led February 12, 1930. Serial No. 427,691..

My invention relates to a slicing machine and has for one purpose theprovision of a slicing machine having a reciprocating or generallyrectilinear edged knife. Another object is the rovision of such amachine in which such a nife is associated with a guard and .gauge platelying in generally parallel planes, in association with a readilymovable, for example, a manually movable carriage. Other objects willappear from -time to time in the course of the specification and claims.

I illustrate my invention more or less diagrammatically inthe'accompanying drawin s, wherein igure 1 is a section;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a knife;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Figure 1; l

Figure 4 is a section on theline 4 4 of Fi ure 1;

igure 5 is a section on the line 5 5 of Figure l;

Figure 6 is a section on the line 6 6 of Figure 1;

Figure 7 is a horizontal section illustratlng one formation of the rearedge of the knife in relation to the adjacent guard plate;

Figure 8 is a similar section illustrating a different formation of therear edge of the knife; and

Figure 9 is a detail section of a variant form of knife bearing.

side elevation with parts in Like parts are indicated by like symbolsthroughout the specification and drawings.

Referring to the drawings, A generally indicates any suitable base whichmay be supported for exampleupon the yeldin supporting members A1.Mounted upon t e base A is any suitable motor means, diagrammaticallillustrated as the motor igure 3. A3 generally indicates an upstandinghousing or frame portion mounted upon the base A, and including a rearwall A1, an end wall As and a more or less inclined or arcuate side wallA. The pulley shaft A1 may extend through any suitable aperture in thewall A* and may terminate for exam le in a drive pulley A8. A9 indicatesany suitable adjustment. A1*

A2, as shown in guard plate, which might be formed integrally with thehousing A3, but is preferably movable therefrom, as herein shown. Ansuitable means for adjusting the guard p ate in relation to the knife,below described, may be employed. I have illustrated one form ofadjustment, which has been found satisfactory. The guard plate A may beformed with a plurality of depressions A10 adapted to receive the headsof the screws A11 the screw stems of which pass through apertures A12 oflarger diameter to allow for lateral minute are adjustable plugsscrewthreaded into bosses formed integral with the housing A. The plugsA11 are internally threaded as at A15 to receive the screws A11 by meansof which the depressed portions A10A of the guard plate A9 are heldsecurely against the heads of the plugs A11 as shown in Figure 3.

B generally indicates a cylindrical track mounted upon forwardprojections B1 from the base A. Illustrated as vertically aligned withthe track B is the guide track B2 similarly mounted upon the base A.Slidable along the two tracks is the work supporting carriage generallyindicated as B3 which may include the work engaging portion proper B4pivoted as at' B5 and adapted either to be left in horizontal position,as shown in Figure 1 or to be tilted to various positions. As tiltingand supporting means I illustrate the pivoted links B slotted as at B7,and in op.- erative engagement with the locking knob B8. B9 is anupstanding work engaging Vflange or abutment along the edge of themember B which is remote from the cutting edge of the knife when thecarriage is in the initial position in which it is shown in Figure 1.

I may employ a pusher plate C slidable for example along the pin or uideC1 and also, if desired, rotatable therea out, a connecting sleeve C2being employed which is adaptable also for use as a manual handle forthe combined operation of moving the carriage alon the tracks and ofurging the pusher. plate toward the cutting plane. C3 is a connectionbetween the pusher plate C and the sleeve C2, which is also availablefor use as a manual handle, in case the operator wishes to thrust thepusher plate directly toward the cutting plane, as when the other handis used to move the carriage. In practice it is more common to employthe sleeve C2 as a single'handle for effecting both purposes. Cl5indicates a guard associated with the carriage Bf1 and preferably formedas a unit with or secured to the meat supportin member B1. At its righthand edge, as s iown in Figure 1, it may be secured to the upstandingportion C" which is in effect an upward pro]ection of the flange B9,upwardly extended adjacent the cutting plane of the knife.

D generally indicates a gauge plate which may be mounted upon anysuitable supporting means D1 upstanding from the movable housing D2. Thedetails of gauge plate actuating means do not of themselves form part ofthe present invention. I illustrate, however, a manual knob D3, inresponse to rotation of which the gauge plate may be moved forwardlyinto or rearwardly out of the cutting plane. Preferably its path ofmovement, Whether arcuate or rectilinear, may effect simultaneously arearward movement of the gauge plate rearwardly away from the cuttingplane, and a lateral movement of the gauge plate laterallyA away fromthe cutting edge of the knife. The result is to open the throat betweenthe opposed edges of knife and gauge plate, as the gauge plate isrearwardly moved. D4 is any suitable guard member preferably associatedwith the gauge plate, and overhanging the rear face of the I knife andprotecting its edge from the rear at all normal positions of the gaugeplate.

E generally indicates the knife body which includes the blade portionproper E1 and the terminal guide blocks E2, herein shown as generallyrectangular in cross-section, but which may be formed to suit anydesired shape of guide.

Referring to Figure 1 it will be seen that the knife is in generallyupright position.

' Preferably its edge defines a generally vertical cutting plane whichplane is preferably parallel with the faces of gauge and guard plates,and generally parallel with the path of movement of the carriage B3across said gauge and guard plates. I may provide any suitable means forsupporting the upper and lower ends of the knife but I illustrate alower bearing block E3 which may form part of or be associated with thebase A and anV upper bearincr block E4 which may be mounted for exampleupon an upward and lateral extension E5 of the housing wall A. Thesebearing blocks contain the aligned apertures E6 which correspond indimensions and shape to the members E2 at the ends of the knife E.

I may provide any suitable means for reciprocating the knife within itsbearing guides but I find that the structure herein shown issatisfactory. Referring to Figure 6 the lower guide block E2 isillustrated as secured, as by the screws E7 to a portion of vthe base A.Upstanding from the rear face of the knife is a bearing pin E11 whichmay be screwthreaded into the knife as at E. Rotatable thereabout is thesleeve portion E10 at the end of the link E11 eccentrically pivoted tothe pulle E12 adapted to rotate in response to the belt E1a which inturn passes about the drive pulley A2. Any suitable means for supportingthe pulley E12 may be employed but I illustrate the pulley shaft E1*mounted in the roller bearings E15. E111 indicates a spacer or spacingsleeve interposed between the rear face of the knife and the member E10.E17- indicates any suitable and preferably removable cover plate for thetop of the block E1 which serves to close the top of the aperture E".

It will be realized that rotation of the pulley E12 will impart to theknife E a rapid reciprocation. It may be desirable, as indicated inFigure 9, to employ yielding means tending to urge the knife upwardlyafter the downward thrust, in order to increase the readiness of returnof the knife and in order to prevent rattling. I therefore illustratethe spring G which may be coiled about the guide portion G1 surroundingthe end E2 of the knife and compressed against the plate G2 which may besecured as by the screw Gr3 to the upper end of the knife.

Referring for example to Figure 3 I illustrate a close approach betweenthe edge of the guard plate A9 and the rear edge of the knife. Iillustrate variant forms of the opposed edges of knife and guard platefor example in Figures 7 and 8. In Figure 7 the rear edge of the knife Eis shown as convex and the opposed edge of the guard plate A as concave,reversing the formation of the parts shown in Figure 3. In Figure 8 therear edge of the knife is provided with a lateral extension E2o whichpenetrates an opposed aperture E21. It will be understood that in allforms there will be sufficient tolerances allowed 'to prevent anysubstantial wearing contact between knife and gauge plate, although itmay be preferable to provide quite a close contact in order to limit thepenetration of material therebetween and to provide a iush surface overwhich the work may pass after the slice has been severed by the cuttingedge.

It will be realized that whereas I have described and shown a practicaland operative device, nevertheless many changes might be made in thesize, shape, number and disposition of dparts. I therefore wish mydescription an drawings to be taken as in a broad sense illustrative anddiagrammatic rather than as limiting me to my specific showing.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows:

I have illustrated the application of a reciprocat-ing knife to a lighttype of manually operable machine. That is to say, all operations aremanually performed except the actual movement of the knife. The knife isgiven a rather short, rapid reciprocation, it being held of course in asingle cutting plane. The work to be sliced is positioned upon thecarriage, resting upon the work support B* and the carriage is movedpast the cutting edge of the knife. The gauge plate D is vset todetermine the thickness of the slice. As the gauge plate D is at alltimes in general parallelism with the path of movement of the carriage,the thickness of the slice is uniform from edge to edge and there is nocramping between the face of the work and the guard plate A", as thework crosses the guard plate lafter the slice is removed. Guard andgauge plates are at all times in generally parallel planes. 'I find itpreferable to make the front edge of the knife E conform generally tothe plane of the guard plate A9. Similarly, the knife being bevelled, asshown in Figures 3, 7 and 8,1 prefer to form the Wall Ae of the housingeither in general continuation of the bevel of the knife, or inclinedback sufliciently to prevent any interference with the severed slice asit is delivered from the knife 'for receipt upon the slice receivingelement or tray H. Referring to Figure 1 it will be seen that the knife,although lying in vertical plane, is inclined in that plane, so that thecutting edge overhangs the body of the work as it is moved toward theknife. Therefore the work is to some extent wedged between theoverhanging knife edge and the Work support B* and the slice supportE25. The result of this Wedging action is to hold the work firmlyagainst the cutting edge and to insure a clean, quick slice, with aminimum of dragging or larding or frictional resistance. The actualspeed of movement of the knife edge in relation to the work is slight ascompared, for example, to the electrically driven rotary knives ofmachines now on the market. Therefore, the result is a great reductionin the tendency of the work to heat and a .reduction in the formation oflard and grease in slicing such materials as ham or bacon. The presentdevice has many advantages over the rotary knife machine now on themarket. A reciprocating knife blade is much less eX- pensive than theordinary disc knife. No sharpening device is ,required on the machine,as the reciprocating knife is so arranged as to be readily removableAfrom the machine. Referring forexample to Figure l all that isnecessary is to unscrew the pin E8, thus releasing the lower ed e of theknife. The knife can then be eitherropped downwardly through the bearingblock E3 or drawn upwardly through the bearing block E4, the cover plateE7 being removed in the latter case. The cutting angle on thereciprocating knife is constant for the entire height of the cuttingspace, whereas in the circular knife the cutting angle is constantlychanging. The reciprocating knife is free from any tendency to drawparticles of grease or meat back into the inside of the machine. Adirectly reciprocating movement provides no opportunity for drawing meatparticles or grease back into a close housing. In fact, as shown inFigure 3 both edges of the blade are exposed sufficiently for adequatecleaning, the only non-enclosed part being the very slight area ofopposition to the guard plate A, and the slight length of the guideblocks E3 E4. The slower ed e speed of the -knife, however, practica yeliminates the larding difficulty, so often met with in high speedrotary knife machines, and thee will be little or no grease or lard todeal wit The employment of the reciprocating knife enables the use of alight, simple, small housing for the knife transmission and eliminatesthe necessity for the bulky bearing and bearing sleeve now employed inrotary knives. The provision of proper means for deflecting the sliceand for receiving it upon the receiving tray H is rendered easy, sincethere is little or no tendency on the part of a reclprocating knife togrip the slices or to distort them or to throw them centrifugally inresponse to the rotation of the rotary knife.

It being possible to make the edge of the knife perfectly straight,fitting the edges of the gauge and guard plates to the adjacent edges ofthe knife is rendered easy. The task of guarding the edge of the knifeis rendered easy since only that portion of the edge which is actuallyused for slicing is exposed.

I claim:

, 1. In a slicing machine a base, a generally plane guard plate mountedupon said base, a gauge plate mounted on said base and lying in a' planegenerally parallel to the plane of the guard plate, means for movingsaid guage plate toward and away from the plane of said guard platewhile maintaining it constantly in generalparallelism with the guardplate, a work support and means for guiding it across the faces of thegauge and the guard plate along a path generally parallel with saidfaces and a reciprocating knife posi tioned between the opposed ledgesof gauge and guard plate, and guiding means on the upper and lower endsof said knife, said guiding means being positioned respectively aboveand below the normal cutting edge or zone opposed to the work.

2. The structure of claim l characterized by the employment of the knifehaving guiding or bearing blocks at each end thereof, the intermediateportion of the knife being unsupported.

3. The structure of claim 1 characterize by the employment of alignedbearing sleev s for the upper and lower ends of the knife, the knifehaving guidin or bearing blocks at each end thereof a apted to engagesaid sleeves. v

4. In a reciprocating knife for use with slicing machines, a knife bladeand guide or bearing blocks at each end thereof, said blocks beingintegral With the knife blade, said blocks being formed withlongitudinally aligned bearing surfaces, the knife blade portion lyingwithin the peripheries of said blocks.

5. The structure of claim 4 characterized in that the knife blade, whichconnects the blocks, is unsupported intermediate its ends and is ofsuiiicient cross-sectional area to maintain itself in accuratelongitudinal alignment with said blocks.

6. In a slicing machine, a work support and means for guiding it, areciproca-ting knife positioned adjacent the path of movement of saidwork support for reciprocation in a generally vertical plane, a posltivedrive adapted to reciprocate said knife, said drive. being adapted tocooperate with the lower end of the knife, and yielding means opposed tosaid drive, said yielding means being normally under compression betweenan upper portion of the knife and the guiding means.

7 In a slicing machine, a guard plate, a gauge plate, means formaintaining the gau e plate in parallelism with the guard plate, teopposed edges of said guard and gauge plates being rectilinear andparallel, a rectilinear knife positioned in the space between saidopposed parallel edges and means for guiding it for movement along arectilinear path,

means for reciprocating said knife, and a Work support and means foruiding it across the faces of gauge and guar plate and knife along apath generally parallel with said faces, the cutting plane defined bythe cutting edge of the knife being generally parallel with the planesof gauge and guard plates,

said knife bein inclined from the vertical, the edge of sai knifeoverhanging the work mounted on the carriage as the carriage is thrustagainst the knife, the angle defined by the cutting edge of the knifeand the path of movement of the carriage being at all points along thecutting edge of the knife substantially less than a right angle.

8. In a slicing machine, a work support and means for guiding it, a.reciprocating knife and means for reciprocating it, a guard plate and agauge plate positioned in planes normally parallel, the cutting plane ofthe knife being in parallelism with vthe guard and gauge plate, motormeans and a driving connection between the motor means and knife, and aclosed transmission housin to the rear of the guard plate, said guard pate being adapted to serve as a closure for said and tate of Indiana,this 18th day of Jan- 70 uary, 1930.

- WILLIAM J. CAMPBELL.

